PLATFORM 2007 Bringing your VOICE to the House of Assembly TABLE OF CONTENTS: MESSAGE FROM LORRAINE MICHAEL …………………………………………………………………….……….-3- HEALTH CARE: A SYSTEM YOU CAN DEPEND ON ............................................................................................ - 5 - THE NDP WILL CALL FOR: ................................................................................................................................................ - 5 - DISABILITY SHOULD NOT MEAN DISADVANTAGED ....................................................................................... - 7 - THE NDP WILL CALL FOR: ................................................................................................................................................ - 7 - ECONOMY: WORKING FOR EVERYONE. ................................................................................................................ - 9 - THE NDP WILL CALL FOR ………………………………………………………………………………………………... - 9 - ENERGY: A BETTER PLAN.......................................................................................................................................... - 11 - THE NDP WILL CALL FOR: .............................................................................................................................................. - 12 - MINING: A PROSPEROUS, ENVIRONMENTALLY SUSTAINABLE INDUSTRY ......................................... - 13 - THE NDP WILL CALL FOR: .............................................................................................................................................. - 13 - SUSTAINABILITY: USING OUR LAND WELL ...................................................................................................... - 15 - THE NDP WILL CALL FOR: .............................................................................................................................................. - 16 - A FISHERY THAT IS SUSTAINABLE ........................................................................................................................ - 17 - THE NDP WILL CALL FOR: .............................................................................................................................................. - 18 - RURAL INVESTMENT: A BETTER PLAN ................................................................................................................ - 19 - THE NDP WILL CALL FOR: .............................................................................................................................................. - 20 - HOUSING: PROVIDING A HEALTHY LIFESTYLE ............................................................................................... - 22 - THE NDP WILL CALL FOR….………………………………………………………………………………..………...... - 23 - WORKERS: RESPECTED BY GOVERNMENT ........................................................................................................ - 24 - THE NDP WILL CALL FOR: .............................................................................................................................................. - 25 - POVERTY: A BETTER PLAN ....................................................................................................................................... - 26 - THE NDP WILL CALL FOR: .............................................................................................................................................. - 27 - PAYING OUR DEBT TO SENIORS............................................................................................................................ - 28 - THE NDP WILL CALL FOR: .............................................................................................................................................. - 28 - COMMITTED TO WOMEN’S EQUALITY ............................................................................................................... - 30 - THE NDP WILL CALL FOR: .............................................................................................................................................. - 30 - CHILD CARE: A PROGRAM THAT CARES FOR OUR CHILDREN ................................................................. - 32 - THE NDP WILL CALL FOR: .............................................................................................................................................. - 33 - EDUCATION: PROVIDING A HEALTHY AND HIGH QUALITY SYSTEM ................................................... - 34 - Bringing your VOICE to the House of Assembly TABLE OF CONTENTS CONTINUED: THE NDP WILL CALL FOR: .............................................................................................................................................. - 34 - A POST-SECONDARY SYSTEM THAT PREPARES OUR STUDENTS FOR THE FUTURE ...................... - 36 - THE NDP WILL CALL FOR: .............................................................................................................................................. - 36 - LITERACY: LIFELONG LEARNING SUSTAINS COMMUNITIES ..................................................................... - 38 - THE NDP WILL CALL FOR: .............................................................................................................................................. - 39 - - 2 - Bringing your VOICE to the House of Assembly This election is about ensuring your voice is heard in the House of Assembly. The NDP will be your voice! All governments need an opposition that is reasonable, credible, and effective. The New Democratic Party is that effective Opposition. Over the years we have sacrificed hospitals, schools, roads, rural areas and the future of our young people. Years of neglect have left our communities without adequate health and emergency medical services. We have been paying down on the province’s debt. As the NDP, we believe there is a bigger debt to pay - the debt to our seniors, to our children, to our health care providers, to people living in or on the edge of poverty, to our rural communities! We must use our new found wealth to create a fairer and more just Newfoundland and Labrador Now is the time to pay back the debt to our people. Every community in this province deserves to share in our common, new found wealth. With our new found wealth, Newfoundlanders and Labradorians need and deserve: A thorough review of our health care system to restore confidence in testing, deal with wait times, and the hiring of health care workers. - 3 - Bringing your VOICE to the House of Assembly A universal pharmacare program so that no person in Newfoundland and Labrador has to choose between food and drugs. A publicly funded, universal, and quality child care and early learning program. Safe, healthy and clean neighbourhood schools for our children. A home care and home support program for seniors that works. A vibrant rural Newfoundland and Labrador. A better energy plan Increased funding for women’s centres and initiatives. A province-wide 911 system. Anti-scab legislation. Free tuition for public post secondary education. As Leader of the NDP, I will continue to speak out and stand up for the things that matter to you. This is my commitment to each and every Newfoundlander and Labradorian. Give the NDP your vote and we will bring your voice to the House of Assembly. Lorraine Michael Leader, New Democratic Party - 4 - Bringing your VOICE to the House of Assembly Health care: a system you can depend on “Today’s announcement is a band-aid over the gaping wound in our health care system.” Lorraine Michael May 2007 There is a crisis looming in health care in this province. Years of cuts have placed enormous stress on the system. Nurses, doctors, and staff provide the best service they can in increasingly difficult circumstances. Incorrect ER/PR testing for breast cancer patients, incorrect radiology exams, improperly cleaned medical instruments, the need for doctors, nurses and other health professionals (especially in rural areas), bed and emergency room closures, and problems with staff shortages and working conditions in emergency medical services in rural areas have caused great concern. Newfoundlanders and Labradorians deserve better. Now is the time to pay back the debt to people by investing in our health care system. Newfoundlanders and Labradorians deserve a health care system they can depend on. The NDP will call for: • An external review of regional health authorities in the province. The regional health boards put in place 10 years ago, and then collapsed into 4 health authorities, have not fixed the problems. - 5 - Bringing your VOICE to the House of Assembly • A universal pharmacare program for all residents, with coverage for equipment and medications. • A publicly funded and delivered home care and home support system that will provide quality care, fair wages and proper training for home care workers. • A publicly managed ambulance service across the province with standardized training and fair wages, to ensure that our people have reliable emergency services. • Extension of 911 services to all areas of the province. • More doctors, nurses, and front-line health care professionals. • Additional supports for aboriginal students to pursue medical and nursing careers. • Enhanced “return for service” bursaries and other incentives for new health-care professionals; assurance that more local rural students will be admitted to the medical school. • A rural medical services fund to fill vacancies when doctors need relief in rural areas. • A complete